In his press conference before Ipswich, Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca praised Ayyoub Bouaddi’s contribution, believing the Moroccan midfielder makes those around him better. The Italian coach hints at increased playing time for his player.
As Manchester City prepare to host Ipswich Town, their head coach Enzo Maresca has shone a light on one of his midfielders. On Friday 16 October 2026, in a press conference, the Italian coach offered warm praise for Ayyoub Bouaddi, according to the Manchester Evening News.
For Maresca, the Morocco international naturally improves all of his teammates on the pitch, a trait he associates with the very best players. A quality that, in his view, goes beyond individual performances alone.
Better teammates
Asked about his young midfielder, Maresca did not hold back: “A fantastic player. The good thing about Ayyoub is when he’s on the pitch, he’s improving the ones around him — this is just from top players. Sometimes when top players are on the pitch, the ones that move around him are better. And with Ayyoub, the feeling I have is when he’s on the pitch, all the ones around him are better players… », he said, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Translated into French, the remark describes a fantastic player whose presence improves those around him. The City manager links this trait to top players, those figures capable of elevating the whole rather than shining alone, and says he feels exactly that with Bouaddi: when he is on the pitch, everyone around him becomes a better player.
A notable cameo against PSG
The player had particularly stood out when he came on at half-time against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, according to the Manchester Evening News. Manchester City were trailing 3-0 at the time.
His introduction transformed the shape of the midfield, according to Tribuna. Enough to fuel the player’s ambitions, with his club manager also mentioning increased use of him in his starting XI, according to Bilto. Nothing suggests, however, that he will start on Saturday: the Italian coach merely hinted that he could rely on him more.
Maresca also spoke of the need to rotate and give rest to certain key men, starting with Erling Haaland, again according to the Manchester Evening News. Those rotations could offer additional playing time to the Moroccan.
Seven out of seven in sight
Manchester City go into matchday 7 of the Premier League with a perfect record: six wins from six matches this season, the Manchester Evening News reports. The visit of Ipswich Town, on Saturday 17 October 2026 at 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) at the Etihad Stadium, according to Elbotola, is a chance to keep that momentum going.
According to FotMob, a win against Ipswich would make Enzo Maresca the first manager in the Premier League era to win his first seven league matches with a new club.